iOS Jailbreak Rate in China Decreased Sharply in 2013

As you can see from the graph above, the iOS Jailbreak rate in China decreased from above 30% to 12.7% as of the end of 2013, according to Umeng, mobile analytics and service provider of Alibaba.

The causes, according to a Umeng analyst, are the increasingly more official distribution channels and the latest iOS updates.

Before the official distribution channels were established in mainland China most Chinese users bought iOS devices through gray markets where jailbreak services were widely available. Till 2013, the official distribution channels include two Chinese telcos, China Unicom and China Telecom, Apple Retail Stores and authorized re-sellers.

In the last September when iPhone 5s and 5c were launched, mainland China was for the first time among the first markets. iPhone 5s and 5c had had a combined 14% share of all iOS devices in China as of December 2013. It is estimated that the sales of the two models from official channels helped drive down the jailbreak rate in the last quarter of the year. Since China Mobile started selling iPhone 5s and 5C from last weekend, it is expected the China’s largest telecom operator will drive it down further.

iOS 7.0.4, released in mid-November 2013, accounted for 40% of the total iOS devices by the end of 2013. Most devices, according to Umeng, were updated on their own rather than with jailbreaks. That contributed to the deceased jailbreak rate too.